This is a summary of an animated video adapted from a chat with Jeremy Rifkin called “The Empathic civilisation”. Jeremy Rifkin is bestselling author, political adviser and social and ethical prophet.
We encourage you to read it here or to watch the video at www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7AWnfFRc7g and then to comment on it at the bottom of the article.
Freedom comes at a price – part II
Democracy in practice, problems
All of the different types of existing democracy (participative, representative, direct and their variants) are based on the creation of a State that regulates, coordinates and controls life in society within a determined territory. To summarise, the State is created in order to protect us from aggression, nature and other human beings, those within our borders in addition to those outside of them. It therefore is providing a coactive power, or imposing adherence to it’s principles and norms through the use of force or threat.Continue Reading
Freedom comes at a price – part I
About our origins…
Humans have gone through innumerable stages throughout existence. Information about our origins is distorted and inaccurate even today. It’s of course difficult to determine in an objective and empirical way the advance or regression of civilisation in a relatively short time frame, but it’s a certain and irrefutable fact that we’ve notably amplified our knowledge throughout history. This must be seen as something positive given that it allows us to cope better with our hostile environment and also with ourselves.
We don’t know if we took our first steps alone, in any case, if we did and had continued to do so, norms and values would be meaningless. Man, to make life easier and to increase chances of survival, decided to set out in group, in society. Values, norms and organisational needs become essential in order to live in society in peace and harmony.Continue Reading
The privilege of the bank
The issue of the way the banking system functions in general and the privilege commercial or private banks have particularly over other economic agents is a matter that hasn’t been given the broadcasting and publicity it deserves. The lack of interest governments have had in informing citizens as they ought to is unsurprising, as Henry Ford said, “It is well enough that the people of the nation do not understand our banking and monetary system, for if they did, I believe there would be a revolution before tomorrow morningContinue Reading
The secret powers of time, by Prof. Philip Zimbardo
This is a summary of an animated video adapted from a chat with Prof. Philip Zimbardo called “The Secret Powers of Time”. Prof. Philip Zimbardo is a renowned psychologist.
We encourage you to read it here or to watch the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3oIiH7BLmg and then to comment on it at the bottom of the article.
There are 6 main time zones people live in, two focussed on the past, two on the present and two on the future. People focussed on the past remember the good times. These are people who keep family records and photos etc. Others focus only on regret and failure. Those two are called past positive and past negative.Continue Reading
What is Bitcoin?
What is Bitcoin? – A path not taken
Bitcoin is a decentralised electronic currency, devised in 2009 by a developer who has come to be known as Satoshi Nakamoto (although his true identity is unknown). The name Bitcoin is also applied to the free software designed by Nakamoto for the management of this currency, and the P2P network (peer to peer, or a network of “pairs” under the same protocol), which provides support.Continue Reading
